Travelfish #458: Ghost story, Java edition

Ghosts, counting carbon, AI and more.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 [Open in app]( or [online]() [Travelfish #458: Ghost story, Java edition]( Ghosts, counting carbon, AI and more. Jan 30   [Save]() [▷  Listen](   Hi! This week am leading with a great piece on ghosts in Java—take my word for it, there are no shortage of them. [Pledge your support]( On Couchfish, two free reads this week, first a piece looking at [the results of me carbon counting my trip to Vietnam]( and then a look at [the implications for AI and travel writing](. The latter piece was not written by AI! Paid posts back tomorrow, and a big piece on sustainability and Vietnam out on Friday (or maybe Saturday). My Vietnam trip is done and dusted—I finished off in Hanoi—a city I love, and the pics this issue are from there. It is great to be back in Bali and somewhere that is not freezing cold. Cheers Stuart A sight for sore eyes q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F692dc12e-12fb-4565-a9ac-7235ac237d3a_1200x800.jpeg A very long train ride delivered me to Hanoi in time for dawn by the lake. Photo: Stuart McDonald --------------------------------------------------------------- ⭐️ Story of the week  - [Ghosts Of Java]( from History Today --------------------------------------------------------------- 📚 What I’m reading - [This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race]( by Nicole Perlroth (Still going!) 🇲🇲 Burma - [Fatal Business: Supplying The Myanmar Military’s Weapon Production]( from Special Advisory Council (PDF) - [‘We Will Win’: Northern Alliance Doubles Down]( from Frontier Myanmar ($) 🇰🇭 Cambodia - [High-Speed Railway To Connect PP And HCMC]( from KiriPost - [Lost Lands: Mining The Mekong]( from SCMP (Video) [Ad: Phnom Penh’s Penh House, from US$70 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌴 Environment - [The Right Words Are Crucial To Solving Climate Change]( from Scientific American - [Flying Shame: The Scandalous Rise Of Private Jets]( from The Guardian - [Revealed: More Than 90% Of Rainforest Carbon Offsets By Biggest Certifier Are Worthless, Analysis Shows]( from The Guardian - [Travel Companies Rebuked For Exploiting Wildlife For Entertainment]( from Skift 🇮🇩 Indonesia - [On Lunar New Year, Indonesia’s Minority Chinese Muslims Embrace Ancient Heritage]( from Arab News - [Jokowi The Kingmaker? Indonesia’s Ruling Party Gripped By Search For A Successor]( from SCMP ($) 🇱🇦 Laos - [Passengers May Wait 4 Hours To Pass Immigration On Laos-China Railway]( from The Laotian Times - [Laos Struggles With Unexploded Bombs 50 Years After Paris Accords]( from NikkeiAsia ($) 🇲🇾 Malaysia - [Malaysia’s Tourism Recovery Flops As Thailand, Indonesia Cash In]( from Aljazeera - [Malaysia’s Anwar Tightens Singapore Ties In ASEAN Travel Rush]( from NikkeiAsia ($) 🇸🇬 Singapore - [Hot Weather, Late Night Buses And Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar Return]( from Rice Media - [Chinese New Year Reminded Me Why I Love My Grandmother]( from Rice Media 🇹🇭 Thailand - [Thailand’s Tuk-tuks Go Green Amid Rising Demand For Electric Models]( from The Guardian - [China Okays Group Tours To Thailand]( from Bangkok Post - [Dangerous Unintended Consequences Loom In The Wake Of Thailand’s Hasty Legalisation Of Marijuana]( from Fulcrum [Ad: Bangkok’s Sala Arun from US$73 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇻🇳 Vietnam - [Perfectly Imperfect]( from Life Is A Long Story - [Vietnam Is Scaring Tourists Away With Poor Quality Of Services]( from VNExpress - [On A Walking Tour, Mulling Over The Glorious Past And Odious Present Of Tô Lịch River](-mulling-over-the-glorious-past-and-odious-present-of-tô-lịch-river) from Saigoneer - [How A Film Turned A Historic H'mông Homestead In Hà Giang Into A Tourist Attraction](�ng-homestead-in-hà-giang-into-a-tourist-attraction) from Saigoneer Random other stuff - [Cartographer Maps New Dimensions Of ASEAN]( from SEAGlobe ($) - [Ethics, Sustainability & Accessibility In Tour Operations, With Ewan Cluckie, Tripseed]( from The South East Asia Travel Show (Podcast) - [Singapore To Luang Prabang, Laos, Train Journey: Travelling On A “Belt And Road” China-Built Railway]( from Traveller - [Chinese Travel Is Set To Return. The Question Is, When?]( from The New York Times ($) Same day, still walking q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2add1427-bbbc-415f-ae64-1d4a547ad324_1200x800.jpeg This just before my finding out my favourite French hole-in-the-wall was closed for Tet. Photo: Stuart McDonald --------------------------------------------------------------- See you next week! So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health, and thanks for reading. Cheers! Stuart Travelfish weekly newsletter is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Travelfish weekly newsletter that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. [Pledge your support](   [Like]( [Comment]( [Share](   Read Travelfish weekly newsletter in the app Listen to posts, join subscriber chats, and never miss an update from Stuart McDonald. [Get the iOS app]( the Android app]( © 2023 Stuart McDonald Bali, Indonesia [Unsubscribe]() [Start writing]()